Turning 18

Your children can benefit from the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan if they are settled in Québec or temporarily staying here for more than 6 months. When turning 18, depending on the circumstances, you may have to contact us to extend their coverage.

Coverage extended after the 18th birthday

Your children continue to benefit from the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan as your dependent child if they are pursuing full-time studies or have a functional impairement, within the meaning of the Regulation respecting the basic prescription drug insurance plan. In both cases, certain conditions apply.

If they meet the conditions for extension, you must call us to extend your children’s coverage when they turn 18. Otherwise, they will automatically be registered as an adult. If your children are covered under your private plan, check with your insurer whether your children’s coverage may be extended once they turn 18.

Persons temporarily staying in Québec: No extension when turning 18

Persons age 18 and older temporarily staying in Québec do not have access to the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan. Even if they were covered with the public plan before their 18th birthday, they are not affected by these extension conditions.

Conditions for extending a child’s coverage

Here are the conditions for extending your children’s coverage after their 18th birthday.

Students age 18 to 25 who are full-time students at the secondary, college or university level

Requirements:

Be eligible for health insurance as a Québec resident
Not have a spouse
Be living with their parents or tutor
Not have access to a private plan

Person age 18 or over with a functional impairment

Requirements:

Be eligible for health insurance as a Québec resident
Not have a spouse
Have an impairment specified in the Regulation respecting the basic prescription drug insurance plan that occurred before age 18
Not be receiving last-resort financial assistance
Be living with their parents or tutor
Not have access to a private plan

Proof of school attendance

We may sometimes request proof of school attendance in order to check for full-time student status. This proof must be issued by a secondary-, college- or university-level educational institution. In addition, it must indicate the student’s name, specify the period of studies and confirm that the studies are full time.

End of coverage as dependent children

Your children age 18 and older may benefit from public plan coverage extension up to their 26th birthday. After this time, they are automatically deregistered. But even before turning 26, they become ineligible if they cease to fulfil any of the conditions for extending coverage, even if temporarily. If this is the case, they will have to call to notify us.

Registration with a private or public plan

Everyone who has taken up residence in Québec permanently must be covered, at all times, by a prescription drug insurance plan. Your child age 18 or over who does not meet the conditions for extending coverage must take out insurance that covers prescription drugs.

Depending on their situation, your children have to verify what type of plan they need and what steps to take, if applicable.

CHECK WHETHER YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC PRESCRIPTION DRUG INSURANCE PLAN

Access to a private plan through a student job

When persons are eligible for a private plan, they must join it. Your children between ages 18 to 25 cannot benefit from the public plan if a private plan is available through their employment. In this case, you have to notify us so that we may terminate their registration with the public plan.

If your children’s situation changes

In some cases, if your children’s situation changes, they may no longer be able to benefit from the public plan as dependent children. If this is the case, contact us.

For instance, if they:

are no longer a student
have a new spouse
find a new job
join a professional order